fragile times
by tigger4
Summary: only a few characters at the moment, but there will be more.
1. Default Chapter

Chapter 1: flood  
  
He paused. Slowly he turned; so as not to let himself be seen. There was something in the alley with him. It was not a particularly wide alley so he could not dodge past. In fact it was a thin dead-ended alley.  
  
Silhouetted against the light in the narrow gap between the two walls was a medium sized man. The shadowy man would be hard to battle as he was armed with a short sword. They always give an advantage over a dagger. The shadowy figure started towards him. He turned back to the alley. With a quick thought he started running towards the wall that made the dead end. The figure also started to run. Just as he reached it he planted one foot on the wall and catapulted himself over the head of his pursuer. The man instantly span and swung his sword. He ducked just in time and thrust his dagger between the ribs of his assailant. The man looked down. Only after a while did he realize that he was dead. He slumped forward and on impact with the floor he disintegrated. The alleyway dropped away into the blackness that was his world and countryside appeared. He was temporarily blinded at the light from the sun. He could make out a figure. Another shadowy figure at that, but this one was not as sinister as the last.  
  
"Well, if you cant do better than that then the gods help us all. The time you took to kill that one man was way too long." said the person. It was a female voice. This was not surprising to him because it was his sisters.  
  
"Oh yeah! You gave me a dagger and cornered me into an alley with a man equipped with a sword! What was I meant to do? Anyway, the foot plant was good wasn't it? I bet you couldn't do it Kim!" he retorted. His sister, Kimberly, was a level seven mage. This was quite good for her age. Normally only 16 year-olds made it to that level. She had acquired her robe when she was just eleven and was practicing for her eight level certificate by helping Xzarik. He was practicing for his fighting level eight medal.  
  
" No I couldn't do it; mainly because I'm the one conjuring up the battles for you to practice in. if you don't like it then don't ask for my help." She replied.  
  
"I'm sorry Kim, but I just got carried away. I should have been a bit faster. Besides it was my fourteenth fight today. Thanks for the training."  
  
"Don't worry, you'll do fine tomorrow." she kissed him lightly on the cheek and started the curing of wounds incantations.  
  
Tomorrow Xzarik had his level eight grades in fighting technique. This was also abnormally good, as the average grade for an adult was level five. He was only eleven at the moment.  
  
1 "Dinner!" shouted a faint voice in the distance. There was a house over the horizon. The setting sun outlined it perfectly.  
  
2 " There" said Kimberly, "all finished. Now, race you!" But he was already running. She was naturally faster than her younger brother. She was also naturally stronger and could have easily passed the level nine fighting by the age of thirteen but instead she chose the occupation of mage. Fortunately she was not dressed in the usual robes as it was the seventh day and she could run easily. Xzarik was not fully armored and had no spell books with him. Also he had a head start. This made the race pretty much fair. She broke into a sprint, struggling under the weight of her books.  
  
3 Catching up quickly she shouted: " you've left your sword behind!" And slowed a bit, veering towards the house.  
  
4 Xzarik started to slow down. He stopped. He turned around and started to sprint the other way. Kimberly overtook him in a glance and slowed to a halt as she reached the door of the house.  
  
5 She pushed lightly on the crude wooden door and the hinges creaked loudly as it swung open. She took off her shoes and flexed her toes. All day in a field conjuring different scenes could be very tiring. It was basic magic, but all the same…  
  
"Your dinners on the table. Where's Xzarik?" said a tall lady. She had dark hair and was wearing a black dress.  
  
"He left his sword in the field, mother. He's just gone to get It." she replied. Her mother was regarded as one of the most beautiful women of the south. Her name was Kymberly, like her daughters' but spelt differently. This may not have been important to normal people as few could read and write but Kimberly was a mage. Writing was necessary. She put her books on the table by the door and walked over to the window. Xzarik was walking through the meadow with his massive broadsword over his shoulder. It was cruel of her to steal his sword and to leave it in the meadow, but he should learn not to cheat in races. That was her job. She felt a little pang of guilt rush through her but shrugged it off. If a thief was to feel guilty every time they stole something then they may die of guilt. A thief with a conscience, she thought. Now that would be a novel idea  
  
After they had wolfed down their food they sat in front of the fire. This was boring and so it sparked a conversation.  
  
"Your birthday is next week, Kim. Just think, you'll be allowed to join one of the major guilds when you're twelve" said her mother.  
  
"When will you understand mum? I don't want to join a guild. Besides, they're all in Karoshet. The village needs me. The only other mages are Jon and Westa. Jon is incompetent and Westa is going to die soon. Anyway I don't want to leave" she replied before her mother could finish properly.  
  
"Yes but before long you'll be arrested by the watch. It's common knowledge that you're a thief and everyone is on the lookout." Said Xzarik.  
  
"You can shut up too. If it wasn't for me you wouldn't be the fighter that you are." She snapped at him. "I'm going to bed now. See you in the morning. If I don't see you then good luck." She stood up and walked over to the side of the large open plan room and pushed on a panel. Part of the wall slid away gently and she stepped into the gloom, with a flame sprouting from her hand lighting the way.  
  
Xzarik usually went to bed much later than Kimberly did and so he started to practice different kinds of sword strokes by the crackling of the fire. At about eleven o' clock it started to rain. This was not really a problem in the shelter of the house but down in the village there could be problems by the gallon. In Ka- shora the rain came rarely but when it did it made up for the time it had been away. It did not have to rain for long, as there would be one large mass of water. This year it had not rained so far and it was reaching nearly the end of the year. It would have been all right if the village was on a hill like Xzarik's and Kim's house was; but it was in a valley. Next to a river.  
  
"The rain is really pouring down tonight," said Kymberly. "Just think of those poor people down in the village. It's lucky we're up on a hill." But before she could finish Xzarik was pulling on his warm woollen vest.  
  
"I'm going down to the village." Said Xzarik. He was heading for the door.  
  
"But you have your grade tomorrow. You could drown there. At least you would be worn out. You have to save your strength. Let Kim go." She replied hastily, stepping in front of him.  
  
"No" he replied, "I have to go. Kim's birthday is next week. It wouldn't be nice to let her catch a cold" and he pushed past her and ran into the rain. As he was a fading figure in the distance he shouted over his shoulder "Don't wake Kim."  
  
And was gone.  
  
  
  
6  
  
7 


	2. chapter 2

Chapter 2: Selflessness  
  
There was water everywhere. Xzarik had arrived at the town center soaked through. He had asked to see the lord of the land but was told by his secretary to go home. Apparently it was "safer for little boys to stay inside". At that point the roof collapsed and water poured from a gutter onto the secretary's face. He was being pinned to the floor by the ceiling on top of his legs. Xzarik pushed the secretary's head away from the flow of water to stop the man from swallowing too much. He started towards the door that led into the lords' office.  
  
"Hey! You!" shouted the secretary "You're not going to leave me here are you? Hey! Hey!"  
  
"Where is the lord of the land?" said Xzarik.  
  
"In his chambers. Now get me away from this place" replied the secretary in a voice that was competing with the rain.  
  
"Thank you" said Xzarik simply and he turned and walked to the far side of the room. There he walked through a door without looking back at the helpless man on the floor.  
  
He entered a large antechamber. It was filled with soft furniture and carpets. Two large doors lined the other side of the room. They were painted in red. The type worn by nobility. Two guards were standing on either side of the doors and they wore polished armor. This was unusual, as the lord of the land only owned a small village.  
  
"The secretary said I could see the lord of the land. It's really important," he said confidently.  
  
As one they took the door handles and pulled them open swiftly. The lord of the land was sitting in a soft armchair with a large book by the fire. He was desperately searching through the pages for something.  
  
"Who are you and what are you doing in my chambers?" snapped the lord. "I did not send for you."  
  
"You won't find the spell in there. It was cut from every book in the world." Said Xzarik.  
  
"What are you talking about?" said the lord quietly. The doors were closed now so the guards could not see what was going on.  
  
"The spell. It isn't in there. Last time it was used the weather patterns for the entire of this world were unbalanced. It took years of experiments to put them straight." He said, walking to the fire.  
  
"What makes you think I was looking for a spell?" questioned the old man. He was talking even quieter now.  
  
"Because it says 'booke of spiels' on the cover." He replied warming his hands by the fire. "And of course any good lord would not want any of his faithful servants dying in a storm."  
  
Just then the reinforced riverbanks burst. There was a rushing of water. It was almost deafening. The town center was very near the river.  
  
"Quick, go to the top floor of this house!" shouted Xzarik. The guards swung the doors open with their halberds pointed at the ready. The looked around for the fight.  
  
"Who are you to order me about? I am the lord of the land and you cannot tell me what to do!" said the lord pompously. The guards shifted their weapons in their hands, not wanting to hurt a child.  
  
"Die then." said Xzarik simply and darted between the legs of the guards.  
  
When he reached the streets there were people all over the place. They were putting bags of sand by their doors or looking to see what the noise was. Some were just panicking.  
  
There was a terrible groaning from near the river and a house was swaying. There was a woman running away from the riverbank. She was very familiar to him. The problem was he could not properly see her in the gloom. The house started to topple over.  
  
"Look out!" screamed Xzarik.  
  
The house fell and the woman narrowly avoided the bulk of the debris. She slipped and fell. The rain was coming down hard now and the current of water flowing down the street was massive. Everyone in the street suddenly stopped screaming and as one they darted into their houses slamming their doors. Xzarik glanced over his shoulder to see up the long street. A huge rush of water was surging between the buildings. He looked up through the droplets of rain and saw a sign. He swung his sword from over his shoulder and smashed it into the wooden board. It hit the floor with a clatter and he launched himself upwards, catching himself on the jutting pole. The water rushed past underneath him.  
  
The woman was not as lucky as he was though. She was trying to cling on to a mooring post as the water hit. Xzarik saw this and edged himself along the window ledges lining the walls. The woman was holding on tightly. This gave him some time. He looked into the window. It was a boatsmith. Smashing the window with the butt of his sword he jumped into the room and glanced over the tabletops. He grabbed a piece of rope and ran to the window. The window ledge was slippery but he risked it and jumped onto the bit that looked the least wet.  
  
"Grab this!" he shouted over the noise of the downpour.  
  
The woman looked up and saw a rope being thrown her way. She made one single attempt to catch a hold of it. Success. Xzarik tied the other end to a sturdy looking window frame. He then pulled as hard as he could on it and to his surprise the rope was coming towards him. Had the woman been swept away? No; she was still holding fast. She found a handhold in a wall and held on tightly.  
  
At that moment Xzarik lost his footing and slipped. The falling seemed to last for hours until he hit the water. The combined coldness of the water and the sheer impact winded him. He lost all sense of where he was and went unconscious.  
  
Then blackness. 


	3. chapter 3

Chapter 3: sunlight  
  
He woke with his sisters' lips to his own. He was wet all over. The ground he was lying on was moist and he could hear the running of water.  
  
He coughed up water. Kim was leaning over him.  
  
"Are you alright?" she said urgently. "You almost drowned. If it weren't for Jon you would have been lying on the bottom of the sea by now. It was a really stupid thing you did last night."  
  
He looked around him. Pushing himself up onto his elbows he surveyed the small crowd surrounding him. There was his mother and his sister. There was Jon sitting on his left and a general gathering of people. Most of them he recognized from the streets and some were just strangers.  
  
"It was very bad for you to go rushing into the rain like that last night. You could have died," said his mother.  
  
"Yeah, well if it weren't for me then this woman would have drowned. I saved a life you know," said Xzarik, letting a little cough out.  
  
"I know," said his mother. "I was there."  
  
"What!" said Xzarik. He nearly choked. "What were you doing out there?"  
  
"I was looking for you," she said. "Now get some rest. You had a hard night."  
  
"Did I miss my exam?" said Xzarik.  
  
"It's too late now." Said Kim "they are going to start in five minutes."  
  
"Good" said Xzarik. He jumped onto his feet and looked around. He was a considerable way down the river. If he ran then maybe he could make it in time?  
  
"Where are you going? Said his mother. "You need your rest."  
  
"I'm taking this grade whether you like it or not" he said. He broke into a slow run, not looking back.  
  
Kim ran after him and when she had was level with him said, "You can't do a grade like this."  
  
"I'm doing this grade if it kills me." He said, slacking a little.  
  
She considered this and finally replied, "Well if you're going to do it then you'll need your sword." She handed him his sword. "I stole it from Jon. He was going to give it to you when you were strong enough to hold it again."  
  
"Thanks" said Xzarik.  
  
"Well it was the least I could do after you saved mother." She replied.  
  
He thought that he wasn't running that fast. He was at a slow jog now. But the scenery was zooming past him and Kim was just standing next to him. She was going at the same speed as him. He stopped running. The scenery kept on going past him.  
  
"Are you doing that?" he shouted over the rush of wind.  
  
"|Just a little spell I read about last night. I didn't know if it was going to work so I tested it. It should take us to the entrance of the grade hall." She replied loudly.  
  
The grade hall was a very large hall that all of the grades were taken in. It was a little way from the edge of the village. Placing it here was very useful. For one it gave protection from some of the more violent storms, it had firm ground and if any high-energy magic accidents occurred then the villagers were fairly safe.  
  
They arrived outside the grade hall with a jolt and were thrown to the floor. A man stood over them and helped Kimberly and Xzarik up.  
  
"Are you here to watch grades today?" he said in a deep voice.  
  
"She is, but I'm taking my grade eight" he said to the large man. "Are you too?"  
  
"Not exactly." He replied. "I'm one of the judges. You look as if you've just drowned and come back to life. What happened?"  
  
"He went and saved someone from the storm. He stopped her from drowning but fell in the river and got washed up down river." Blurted out Kim.  
  
The man looked impressed. "Well well well. We certainly are a hero aren't we. Ever considered working as a bodyguard? You'd do well." He said. "But the whole unconscious thing may impair your fighting today. Maybe you want to take your grade next year."  
  
"No, I have to take it now." He said after a little time.  
  
"I know how you feel. Anyway there are a few little preparations I have to do. Undoubtedly you have some too so I won't keep you. You probably need to warm up. See you in the grade room." He said. The large man turned on his foot and walked up the long flight of steps that made the staircase to the entrance to the hall. Xzarik and Kim looked up above the doors. A raven ruffled its' wings and took off. They watched it circle them and then stepped through the doorway.  
  
The room they entered was a small room with a single window that was placed into a wall so that it overlooked the great hall. There was a section of the room roped off and only a few people were in there. The group of people were polishing their weapons, stretching their muscles, checking their armor and generally preparing for what seemed to be a very important fight. Xzarik assumed these were the hopeful grade eights. He went to join them.  
  
"You takin' the grades?" asked a tall thin man. He was wearing black leather armor studded with silver rivets. Like all level seven fighters he wore a heavy broadsword across his back. He had an evil sense surrounding him.  
  
"Yes." said Xzarik. He was feeling nervous for the first time in a long time. Many people died during the tests and Xzarik thought much less confident now that he had seen the other entrants.  
  
"En't you a bit young?" he questioned suspiciously.  
  
"Not really. It doesn't matter does it?" He replied.  
  
"No. Good luck then." He said, and continued to check his armor.  
  
"All entrants to the main hall!" boomed a loud voice. A dwarf was standing in the doorway. He turned and marched smartly down a flight of stairs. The entrants formed into a line and followed the dwarfs' example. A line had been drawn on the floor parallel to a long table. It ran the length of the hall. Above the table was the long window through which eager and worried relatives of the entrants supported them. Kim had her nose pressed against the window and it was consequently steaming up.  
  
"Form yourselves onto the line!" barked the dwarf that had led them into the hall. They followed his orders and lined up, facing the table. There were four judges, not including the dwarf that looked like just a steward. To make the judging fairer there was one of each race; Dwarf, Human, Troll and Elven. Xzarik surveyed the room. There were all sorts of contraptions lining the walls. A couple were familiar, as he had used them in his last grading, but most were weird. There was a mat in front of the judge's table. He recognized this as the recovery mat. As no one was allowed to leave the room during the grades, and they stopped for nothing, the unlucky entrants were left here to recover. It was placed in such a position that the judges would not be able to see the dying person in front of them. Apparently this could put them off their judging.  
  
"The Grades work like this: I tell you what to do and you do it, no questions. Only speak when spoken to. If an entrant is wounded you speak to the medics and then continue with what you are doing." Said a quiet voice. This was the man that Xzarik and Kim had met outside. He was now in complete black leather. His weapons of choice were two daggers and were hanging at his waist. He wore a long coat made of leather. This was the customary dress code of his class of fighter. The black leather strip around his body signified that he was a level seventeen assassin. "The first test is a simple one. Each of you will take a partner and spar unarmed. At the signal you will draw your weapons and fight." the man said. "Oh by the way, my name is Eldax. Let the Grading begin." 


End file.
